Chopping-machine.



W. G. DOTY.

CHOPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.9,1s11.

1,145,755. PatentedJuly 6,1915.

' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER GJIDO'I'Y, 0F DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR TO THE ENTERIRISE MANUFACTURING COMPANY OF PENNSYLVANIA, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Te all whom it mag concern Be it known that I, WALTER G.Do'rY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of,Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Chopping-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to chopping or cutting machines adapted to reduce the mate rial operated upon to minute portions by a severing or shearing action, and more particularly to the severing mechanism thereof.

The invention relates especially to food choppers for operating upon meat, vegetables, etc., but is not limited to such use but may be employed in machines for operating upon other materials. I

It has been found in practice that the perforated die plate forming one of the opposing cutting members quickly becomes worn and dulled, thereby reducing the efiiciency of the machine and resulting in a crushing or tearing action upon the material instead of the desired cutting or shearing shouldered extremity of the helical conveyer action. 1

To provide a simple, economical and durable cutting plate which may be quickly and cheaply renewed when dull or worn, is one of the objects of the present invention.

A further object is to provide a face plate or cutting plate for the perforated die which will afford an improved cutting edge and provide clearance for the material as it passes through the perforations of the die plate or closure hereafter described.

A further object is to provide interchangeable face plates having openings of different dimensions for use with a single die or closure plate, thereby providing convenient and economical means for reducing the material to different degrees of fineness.

WVith the above primary and other incidental objects in view as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof and the anode of operation or their equivalent, as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure'1 is a side elevation, partly broken away of an assembled chopper of well known form embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the cutter member as ordi- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 9, 1911. Serial No. 848,123.

-plate.

' cHorrINe-mcnmn.

Patented July 6, 1915.

narily employed. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the )erfpra ted die plate or closure. Fig. 4 1s a t etall \1(\\' of the perforated cutting or face )late. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional yiew of t- 10 closure plate with the face plate in ad usted position thereon.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout-the several news.

lathe drawings the invention is shown as applied to a food chopper of well known co istruction. The machine comprises a receiver for the material comprising a barrel portion 1 and a hopper 2. Within the barrel 1 is located a revoluble spiral conveyer 3, operated by a handle 4, whereby the material is forced longitudinally through the barrel to the severing'devices. At the .discharge end of the receiver there is located a perforated closure plate 5 through the periiorations of which the material is forced by the helical conveyer 3. The closure plate 5 is provided with a central bearing sleeve 6 forming a bearing for the trunnion 7 of the helical conveyer 3. Carried upon a is a cutter member comprising the head 8 from WllIC-ll project radial cutting arms 9. The perforated die or closure plate is usually held stationary within the barrel by means of a lug or key within the barrel engaging in a key way 10 in the plate. The plate is further secured in place by an adjustment ring or collar 11, screw threaded upon the extremity of the barrel. As usually constructed'the cutter member rotates with the conveyer, the cutter being directly in contact with the perforated die or closure It is obvious however that the operation of the parts might be reversed and the plate rotated while the cutter member is held stationary.

The die or closure plates must be made of considerable thickness to successfully withstand the thrust or pressure to which it is subjected by the helical conveyer. The great thickness of the plate in proportion to the diameter of the perforations therein necessitates the drilling of the holes in the plate, which is a tedious, laborious and expensive operation. When the cutter is used directly inv contact with the die or closure plate, as is at present the usual practice, the edges of the perforations in the plate become worn or dulled, seriously interfering with the successful operation of the machine. The usual practice is to replace the dull or worn plate with a new one, discarding the old plate. To materlally reduce the cost of renewing the die or closure plates 1s one of the primary objects of the present invention.

In addition to the die or closure plate 5 and the cutter member, there is provided an interchangeable face plate 12 which is mterposed between the closure plate and cutter, and which may be secured by any sultable means in its adjusted relation with the closure plate. In the drawings,the closure plate has been shown as provided with a marglnal flange 13, having therein recesses 14 The face plate 12 carries marginal pro ections 15 which engage in the recesses 14 of the flange 13 to maintain the face plate in its relation with the closure plate.

By connecting the thin face plate 12 to the closure plate 5 in the manner above described, the thin face plate 12 will accommodate itself more readily to the rotating knife than the rigid plate heretofore used and, consequently, the knife and plate do not have to be ground to an accurate fit, WlllCll was necessary when both the plate and the knife were formed of rigid material.

The face plate 12 is constructed of comparatively thin material and may be readily formed from sheet metal by a punching or stamping operation at an extremely low cost. Being of thin metal the face plates can be more thoroughly and evenly hardened or tempered than the closure or die plates as now used. Thus the face plate 12 which performs the cutting operation in conjunction with the cutter, and therefore receives all the wear incident to the operation of the machine, may be replaced at but a small fractionof the cost of the perforated die or closure plate. V

Furthermore the perforations of the face plate 12 are preferably slightly smaller than those of the closure plate, thus causing the margins of the face plate perforations to overhang the edges of the closure plate perforations, providing clearance within the perforation of the closure plate, which facilitates the passage of the material therethrough, and furthermore the overhanging margin forms a cutting edge of greater efficiency than the flush face of the die or closure plate as heretofore used, and such overhanging edge will continue to perform its service until the face plate is worn away beyond the margin of the closure plate, thereby giving anincreased term of service. When the advance side of the face plate perforations have been worn dull, the face plate may be reversed upon the closure plate, thus presenting the opposite side of the face plate perforations as the cutting edge, thereby affording a double term of usefulness. It is obvious thattli' f ceplate will operate successfullyif 1 th holes-i-therein are equal in size tothose he closure plate and in registry therewith, inFig.1.

To vary'the degree Io f'fineness to which the material is reduced by the machine as commonly used, it is necessary to provide a plurality of closure plates 5 having perforations therein of greater or less size, whereas by the use of the face plates herein deas'fis, shown.

scribed, a number of such face plates having perforations of different sizes may be employed with a single closure plate having perforations corresponding to the coarsest grade desired. Such a collection of different face plates would be far less expensive than a similar collection of different closure plates as is now necessary.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided an improved mechanism for machines of the character described, possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportion, de-

tail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. The combination in a chopping machine, of a casing; a rotatable knife therein; a perforated, hardened thin sheet-metal cutting plate; a perforated rigid plate located back of and'supporting the thin sheet-metal plate; means for holding the thin sheeta metal plate from rotary movement relatively to the thicker rigid plate and permitting the free movement of said thin plate parallel with the axis of the thicker plate and toward and from the face of the rotata- WALTER G. DOTY.

Witnesses:

HARRY F. NOLAN, F. L. WALKER. 

